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| MLS Cup final: Toronto FC v Seattle Sounders – live! | MLS Cup final: Toronto FC v Seattle Sounders – live! |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 2 min: Early pressure from Toronto and Drew Moor goes close for the home side with a clear header over the bar following a corner. He was unmarked. Should have done better. | |
| Drew Moor with the first big chance of the match. pic.twitter.com/5fyYHj2qYp | |
| The Seattle Sounders get us under way. Will it be revenge (for Toronto) or repeat (for Seattle)? Will VAR come into play? Let’s find out... | |
| Two national anthems today: the Star Spangled Banner followed by O Canada. No protests whatsoever here. | |
| Another email. “I have always wondered why the MLS drags its play-offs and plays the final in December. It loses all momentum,” writes Rob Oberemok. Do you agree? | |
| It’s currently 34F at BMO Field but it feels more like 20F due to the wind chill, apparently. Brrr! | |
| Bit of a laboured on-field bit there from the usually excellent Taylor Twellman on ESPN. Not sure that really worked. | |
| Toronto have switched from a back three, which has proved so successful this season, to a back four. “It’s a big gamble from Greg Vanney,” says ESPN’s Kasey Keller. | |
| Here is the prize that Toronto FC and Seattle Sounders are playing for. | |
| The MLS Cup is ready!#MLSCup #SoundersFC #TFCLive #MLSCup2017 pic.twitter.com/EyGycx4Lkq | |
| An email from one Daniel Stauss: “Loving the Sounders lineup. I’m sad (but not surprised) to see El Corazon out of the central midfield, but in Schmetzer we trust. Bruin was a monster in the series against Houston, and Rodriguez was the best under the radar pickup in the league this year. | |
| “My biggest question going into this match, what will Dempsey, Bradley and Altidore have to say to each other after the epic choke that was the WCQ? Will they just do that shrug-and-avert-your-eyes thing? Will the BMO crowd give Clint a hard time? Prepare the popcorn!” | |
| If Harry Shipp scores the winner for Seattle Sounders, it will begin a week of serious festivities for the player. | |
| Seattle's Harry Shipp is getting married next Saturday. Told me yesterday that his bachelor party was supposed to be this weekend. Toronto ain't Vegas, but guessing he won't mind having to cancel if the Sounders pull through tonight. | |
| The players are on the field and getting ready for kick-off. | The players are on the field and getting ready for kick-off. |
| Almost time. #MLSCup pic.twitter.com/cPBE4fLefh | Almost time. #MLSCup pic.twitter.com/cPBE4fLefh |
| Toronto FC Bono; Beitashour, Moor, Mavinga, Morrow; Bradley, Vazquez, Delgado, Osorio; Giovinco, Altidore. | |
| Seattle Sounders Frei; Jones, Marshall, Torres, Leerdam; Svensson, Roldan; Rodriguez, Dempsey, Lodeiro; Bruin. | Seattle Sounders Frei; Jones, Marshall, Torres, Leerdam; Svensson, Roldan; Rodriguez, Dempsey, Lodeiro; Bruin. |
| On to today’s MLS Cup final (kick-off is scheduled to be 4.30pm ET), victory over Toronto would make Seattle just the fourth team in league history to become back-to-back MLS Cup champions. | On to today’s MLS Cup final (kick-off is scheduled to be 4.30pm ET), victory over Toronto would make Seattle just the fourth team in league history to become back-to-back MLS Cup champions. |
| DC United won the first two titles in league history (1996 and 1997), Houston Dynamo won consecutive titles in 2006-07 and LA Galaxy went back-to-back in 2011-12. | DC United won the first two titles in league history (1996 and 1997), Houston Dynamo won consecutive titles in 2006-07 and LA Galaxy went back-to-back in 2011-12. |
| .@SoundersFC is the fifth defending champion to reach #MLSCup. Three of the previous four won back-to-back titles. pic.twitter.com/1eubU2PQ69 | .@SoundersFC is the fifth defending champion to reach #MLSCup. Three of the previous four won back-to-back titles. pic.twitter.com/1eubU2PQ69 |
| Earlier today, meanwhile, incumbent Sunil Gulati – in Toronto for a 2026 World Cup bid press conference – said he has officially withdrawn from the US Soccer presidential race, days after announcing he would not seek re-election. | Earlier today, meanwhile, incumbent Sunil Gulati – in Toronto for a 2026 World Cup bid press conference – said he has officially withdrawn from the US Soccer presidential race, days after announcing he would not seek re-election. |
| “I haven’t endorsed anybody, and I haven’t said I have a preferred candidate,” Gulati told reporters. “I’ll certainly think about [endorsing a candidate], but I haven’t made a decision yet. I don’t think there will be [nine] candidates come February, and I don’t think all the candidates will get the requisite nominations.” | “I haven’t endorsed anybody, and I haven’t said I have a preferred candidate,” Gulati told reporters. “I’ll certainly think about [endorsing a candidate], but I haven’t made a decision yet. I don’t think there will be [nine] candidates come February, and I don’t think all the candidates will get the requisite nominations.” |
| There are nine candidates in the race, including controversial former US women’s goalkeeper Hope Solo. In a twist, former USWNT player Julie Foudy tweeted earlier today of Solo: “I am hearing from multiple sources that Hope Solo does not have even one official nomination. She has until Tuesday to secure three.” How about that. | There are nine candidates in the race, including controversial former US women’s goalkeeper Hope Solo. In a twist, former USWNT player Julie Foudy tweeted earlier today of Solo: “I am hearing from multiple sources that Hope Solo does not have even one official nomination. She has until Tuesday to secure three.” How about that. |
| MLS Commissioner Don Garber gave his traditional “State of the League” press conference on Friday in Toronto. Most notably, Garber said it was “conceivable” that David Beckham’s beleaguered Miami franchise, which is still to be finalized despite being announced in February 2014, could fall down in the pecking order of expansion teams to be invited into the league. Two new franchises, from finalists Sacramento, Nashville, Cincinnati and Detroit, are due to be announced next week. | MLS Commissioner Don Garber gave his traditional “State of the League” press conference on Friday in Toronto. Most notably, Garber said it was “conceivable” that David Beckham’s beleaguered Miami franchise, which is still to be finalized despite being announced in February 2014, could fall down in the pecking order of expansion teams to be invited into the league. Two new franchises, from finalists Sacramento, Nashville, Cincinnati and Detroit, are due to be announced next week. |
| “It is the most complicated in any market that we’ve experienced, at least in my 18 years,” Garber said. “We’ve been working hard on trying to find a local owner for David Beckham. I feel confident that that will come together, so I continue to say that we want Miami in the league. It’s a large market, a gateway city. There are a lot of values to us having a team down there and I’m very confident that we’ll get something done.” | “It is the most complicated in any market that we’ve experienced, at least in my 18 years,” Garber said. “We’ve been working hard on trying to find a local owner for David Beckham. I feel confident that that will come together, so I continue to say that we want Miami in the league. It’s a large market, a gateway city. There are a lot of values to us having a team down there and I’m very confident that we’ll get something done.” |
| Hello and welcome to the 2017 MLS Cup final between heavy favourites Toronto FC and defending champions, the Seattle Sounders. Today’s game in frosty Toronto is a rematch of last year’s final which the Sounders won on penalties after a goalless 120 minutes. | Hello and welcome to the 2017 MLS Cup final between heavy favourites Toronto FC and defending champions, the Seattle Sounders. Today’s game in frosty Toronto is a rematch of last year’s final which the Sounders won on penalties after a goalless 120 minutes. |
| Toronto, for their part, are excited to have “another crack” at Seattle, according to midfielder Michael Bradley. “This was all we wanted,” he added. Toronto foward Jozy Altidore is fit to play despite nursing a hurt right ankle while Jordan Morris is likely to make the Sounders squad after returning from a hamstring injury in the Western Conference final against Houston Dynamo. Seattle midfielder and captain Osvaldo Alonso is out, though. | Toronto, for their part, are excited to have “another crack” at Seattle, according to midfielder Michael Bradley. “This was all we wanted,” he added. Toronto foward Jozy Altidore is fit to play despite nursing a hurt right ankle while Jordan Morris is likely to make the Sounders squad after returning from a hamstring injury in the Western Conference final against Houston Dynamo. Seattle midfielder and captain Osvaldo Alonso is out, though. |
| The biggest factor could be the weather: temperatures are expected around the freezing mark around kick-off, with a 40% chance of snow flurries. The orange ball awaits. | The biggest factor could be the weather: temperatures are expected around the freezing mark around kick-off, with a 40% chance of snow flurries. The orange ball awaits. |
| Bob will be here soon. In the meantime, read why Toronto FC are confident of finally fulfilling their promise after last year’s heartache against today’s opponents, the Seattle Sounders. | Bob will be here soon. In the meantime, read why Toronto FC are confident of finally fulfilling their promise after last year’s heartache against today’s opponents, the Seattle Sounders. |